A probe for a probe card assembly is provided. The probe includes a beam element having a tip end portion. The probe also includes a tip structure on the tip end portion of the beam element. The tip structure includes a plurality of conductive bumps arranged in a stacked configuration.
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1. A probe for a probe card assembly comprising:
a beam element having a first end and a second end;
a tip structure on the second end of the beam element, the tip structure including a plurality of flattened conductive bumps arranged in a stacked configuration;
a post structure securing the first end of the beam element to a substrate, wherein the post structure secures the first end of the beam element and allows a remaining portion of the beam element from the first end to the second end of the beam element to deflect in response to the tip structure making contact with a device to be tested; and
adhesive material comprising a layer of gold disposed between at least two adjacent flattened conductive bumps from the plurality of flattened conductive bumps, wherein the layer of gold is in contact with each of the at least two adjacent flattened conductive bumps.
7. A probe card assembly comprising:
a substrate defining a surface; and
a plurality of probe elements supported on the surface of the substrate, each of the probe elements including:
a beam element having a first end and a second end,
a tip structure on the second end of the beam element, the tip structure including a plurality of flattened conductive bumps arranged in a stacked configuration,
a post structure securing the first end of the beam element to the substrate, wherein the post structure secures the first end of the beam element and allows a remaining portion of the beam element from the first end to the second end of the beam element to deflect in response to the tip structure making contact with a device to be tested; and
adhesive material comprising a layer of gold disposed between at least two adjacent flattened conductive bumps from the plurality of flattened conductive bumps, wherein the layer of gold is in contact with each of the at least two adjacent flattened conductive bumps.
2. The probe according to
3. The probe according to
4. The probe according to
5. The probe according to
6. The probe according to
8. The probe card assembly according to
9. The probe card assembly according to
10. The probe card assembly according to
11. The probe card assembly according to
12. The probe card assembly according to
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The present application is related to and claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/604,561, filed Aug. 26, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates to equipment for testing of integrated circuits. More particularly, the present invention relates to probe elements of a probe card assembly for wafer testing of integrated circuits.
Cantilever electrical connector elements are widely used in the manufacture of probe cards for testing (e.g., wafer testing) integrated circuits and similar items. A cantilever electrical connector is designed so as to provide electrical contact between an electrical contact point (e.g., a contact pad) on the device under test (DUT) and another electrical contact point (e.g., another contact pad) on a testing apparatus. Thus, the cantilever electrical connector provides a portion of an electrical path in a probe card assembly, where the probe card assembly provides the electrical interconnection between a DUT and a testing apparatus.
The end of the cantilever electrical connector that comes into contact with the contact pad on the DUT generally is formed with a contact pad that is made from a material and with a shape that facilitates the contact with the contact pad. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,892,223 and 6,255,126 describe some examples of conventional cantilever electrical connectors. For example, the cantilever connector may include a pyramidal or similar shaped tip that is designed to facilitate electrical connection with a contact pad on the DUT by breaking through an oxide layer that may form on the contact pad. Such oxide layers reduce the conductivity through the connection, thus adversely affecting the testing of the DUT.
Conventional cantilever electrical connectors are formed from a variety of processes, such as lithographic techniques, formed (bent) wire and stamped metal. Forming tip elements/structures for cantilever electrical connectors in connection with such processes may be expensive and time consuming.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a more easily manufactured, cost-effective, tip structure for a cantilever electrical connector.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a probe for a probe card assembly is provided. The probe includes a beam element having a tip end portion. The probe also includes a tip structure on the tip end portion of the beam element. The tip structure includes a plurality of conductive bumps arranged in a stacked configuration.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the invention, a probe card assembly is provided. The probe card assembly includes (1) a substrate defining a surface, and (2) a plurality of probe elements supported on the surface of the substrate. Each of the probe elements includes (a) a beam element having a tip end portion, and (b) a tip structure on the tip end portion of the beam element. The tip structure includes a plurality of conductive bumps arranged in a stacked configuration.
According to yet another exemplary embodiment of the invention, a method of forming an electrical connector is provided. The method includes providing a beam element having a tip end portion. The method also includes arranging a plurality of conductive bumps in a stacked configuration on the tip end portion of the beam element to define a tip structure of the electrical connector.
For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings a form of the invention which is presently preferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. It is emphasized that, according to common practice, the various features of the drawing are not to scale. On the contrary, the dimensions of the various features are arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. Included in the drawing are the following figures:
According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention described herein, an efficient and inexpensive process for configuring cantilever electrical connectors is provided. The use of stacked bumps allows for a base cantilever electrical connector to be modified to suit a particular device to be tested. The use of a bonder to provide the attachment of the cantilever electrical connector to a probe card also permits automation of the probe attachment, thus reducing the labor and associated cost with the conventional method of attaching the cantilever electrical connectors by hand.
As used herein, the term “cantilever” refers to a beam member, and more particularly, to an elongated beam member supported such that an end of the beam member is unsupported to deflect under an applied load.
As used herein, the terms “probe” or “probe element” refer to any conductive structure configured for probing a conductive region of a semiconductor device (e.g., a semiconductor device prior to singulation from a wafer, a packaged semiconductor device already singulated from a wafer, etc.). Thus, the terms “probe” or “probe element” include such structures including portions having any of a number of shapes/configurations (e.g., straight beam members, bent beam members, curved members, etc.) and structures formed from any of a number of processes (e.g., plating process such as lithographic processes, subtractive processes such as etching or stamping, etc.).
Electrical connector 10 is coupled at first end 14 to post 40. Post 40 is disposed on conductive region 42 of substrate 50. For example, conductive region 42 may be a conductive trace, a terminal, a contact pad, etc. of substrate 50. In the case of conductive region 42 being a conductive trace, such a trace may be deposited on substrate 50, for example, through plating techniques (e.g., photolithographic techniques). While not limited thereto, post 40 may also be a plated-up structure, (e.g., plated-up onto conductive region 42 through photolithography).
While not shown in
Exemplary tip structure 18 is formed, for example, using a wire bonding machine such as those sold by Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc., Willow Grove, Pa. More particularly, referring to
Wire bonding tool 19 then places second stud bump 20b on top of the flattened stud bump 20a as shown in
As shown in
While
While the exemplary embodiments of the present invention illustrated in
Each of the bumps (e.g., bumps in stack 20 or in stack 64) may be formed from the same or different electrically conductive materials. In one example, the bumps are formed from a platinum iridium alloy (i.e., a PtIr alloy). Other exemplary materials used to form the bumps include gold, copper, platinum, palladium, silver, or alloy combinations thereof. In certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a material with good malleability characteristics is desirable. Further, the top bump (e.g., bump 22, bump 66) may be formed from a material that has sufficient hardness to break through an oxide layer that may form on a typical contact pad on a device to be tested. Examples of suitable metals that can be used as the top bump are palladium, platinum-iridium, Paliney-7, and palladium-cobalt.
In forming a stack of bumps along with a tip, such as stack 20 and tip 22 illustrated in
While the present invention is not limited to bumps of any particular size, exemplary bumps in a stack (after flattening/coining) may be 50 to 60 μm in diameter and approximately 20 to 25 μm thick. An exemplary top bump (e.g., bump 22 of
The bumps of the tip structures according to the present invention (e.g., bumps 20, 22 of
After a beam element of an electrical connector (e.g., beam 12 of electrical connector 10 of
According to certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it may be desirable to alter the heights of stacks of bumps of a plurality of electrical connectors such that the heights are more uniform. Further, it may be desirable to partially flatten/coin the tip of each bump stack to provide a more reliable break-in period for the tip structure. These optional features of the present invention are illustrated in, and described below with respect to,
Referring now to
Referring now to
A slightly different approach is illustrated with respect to
The adjustment processes illustrated and described with respect to
Although the adjustment tool 500 illustrated in
In each of
Referring now to
A detailed view of an exemplary probe 60 coupled to substrate 50 through conductive trace 42 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is also shown in
While an exemplary configuration of a probe card assembly is shown in
At step 808 the beam panel assembly (including the first group of flattened/coined stud bumps) is cleaned (e.g., via a plasma cleaner). At step 810, after cleaning, a thin adhesion layer (e.g., a thin layer of gold) is applied (e.g., sputtered) onto the first group of flattened/coined stud bumps. At step 812, the beam panel assembly is then moved to the first wire bonder and a second stud bump is placed on top of the first bump, and at step 814, the second bumps are flattened/coined (e.g., at the first wire bonder or at a second wire bonder).
At step 816, the beam panel assembly is then cleaned (e.g., via a plasma cleaner), and, at step 818, an adhesion layer (a thin layer of sputtered gold) is applied to the second bumps. This process (e.g., bumping, coining, cleaning and applying an adhesion layer) is repeated as desired to reach a desired stack height. At step 820, a final bump is bonded to the stack, and if desired, the final bump may be shaped (e.g., as in
After all the stacks are complete including final bumps (shaped or not shaped), the assembly is placed back onto a wire bonder (e.g., the first wire bonder). Further, the stacks including the final bumps may undergo an annealing process to improve adhesion (e.g., between the conductive bumps, between the stack and the beam, etc.). At step 822, the wire bonder measures the height of each stack and then adjusts (1) the individual stacks down to a desired height and/or (2) adjusts the tip shape (e.g., the diameter of the tip). Step 822 may be conducted, for example, according to one of the exemplary processes described above with reference to
At step 824, after the adjustment process, the beam panel is cleaned (via a plasma cleaner). At step 826, the beam panel is aligned to a plated substrate including elevated posts corresponding to each beam, and the beams are attached to the posts (e.g., using a TAB bonding process), after which the individual beams are separated from the beam panel.
Although the present invention has been described primarily with respect to techniques using a wire bonder, it is not limited thereto. Various processes and structures disclosed herein (e.g., layered tip structures on a beam, coining processes, etc.) may be accomplished using systems other than wire bonding systems.
While the present invention has been described primarily with respect to probes for a probe card assembly for wafer testing, it is contemplated that certain of the concepts disclosed herein may be applied to other testing technologies such as package testing of packaged integrated circuits.
The elements (e.g., posts, beams, etc.) of electrical connectors (e.g., cantilever probe elements) included in the various exemplary probes of the present invention may include conductive materials which may not have a desired property such as conductivity, adhesiveness during bonding, or hardness. Thus, while not explicitly described in connection with each illustrated embodiment herein, it is clear that certain of the elements may be coated, plated, or sputtered as desired to provide such property. For example, when coupling (1) a beam of an electrical connector to (2) a post of an electrical connector using certain bonding techniques (e.g., TAB bonding), it may be desirable to sputter a malleable material on the post prior to bonding the beam thereto. As a more specific example, if a post and a beam are formed of nickel manganese, it may be desirable to sputter gold onto the post prior to bonding the beam thereto to provide a more robust bond.
While the present invention has been described primarily with respect to stud bumped stacked tip elements, it is not limited thereto. Other conductive bumps are contemplated to form the stacked tip elements.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof. Although the invention has been described and illustrated with respect to the exemplary embodiment thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and various other changes, omissions and additions may be made therein and thereto, without parting from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Williams, Scott R., Frick, Guy B., Slopey, Alan, Shuhart, John M.
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Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
Aug 25 2005 | SV Probe Pte Ltd. | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / | |||
Nov 15 2005 | FRICK, GUY B | K&S INTERCONNECT, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 016828 | /0443 | |
Nov 17 2005 | WILLIAMS, SCOTT R | K&S INTERCONNECT, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 016828 | /0443 | |
Nov 23 2005 | SHUHART, JOHN M | K&S INTERCONNECT, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 016828 | /0443 | |
Nov 28 2005 | SLOPEY, ALAN | K&S INTERCONNECT, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 016828 | /0443 | |
Mar 03 2006 | KULICKE AND SOFFA INDUSTRIES, INC | SV Probe Pte Ltd | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 017518 | /0211 | |
Mar 03 2006 | K&S INTERCONNECT, INC | SV Probe Pte Ltd | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 017518 | /0211 |
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